You Put Your Arms Around Me
by missy3316
Summary: After much thought on Peyton's forgiveness, Ian escapes from prison to make her take it back. How will Peyton cope after his brutal attack? Who will she go to for help?Set a week after graduation. Becomes a Lucas/Peyton love story


After much thought on Peyton's forgiveness, Ian escapes from prison to make her take it back. How will Peyton cope after his brutal attack? Who will she go to for help?Set a week after graduation.

*WARNING*. Very sensitive topic in this chapter, if you're not prepared do not read.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or settings.

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author note: i don't have a beta, frankly I don't want one. I'm sorry for the mistakes, I just prefer to work on my own on my stories.

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Peyton POV.

It was a week since graduation and I felt the best I had in a very long time. Haley had her baby last week and Brooke and I were best friends again. Also, I was with Lucas. I finally had him. I had just spent an amazing day with my friends. After going to see Haley and Baby James at the hospital, Brooke and I spent three hours under our bridge talking, laughing, crying, just being friends again. After that, Brooke went to Karen's Cafe to fill in for Haley while I went to my Boyfriend's house.  
It was amazing that I could finally call him my boyfriend. Lucas Scott, Peyton Sawyer's BOYFRIEND. I wasn't one for those head-over-heels in love crushes like most girls my age, but it was safe to say I was completely in love with everything about Lucas Scott.  
We'd spent the rest of the day on the river court. I surprised Luke with my great jump-shot. I didn't have the heart to tell him that Nathan had made me practice with him for hours in Whitey's field house. Nathan was a different person now; he would never put that pressure on Haley.

When I got home I decided to park the Comet in the garage behind my house. There was a thunderstorm coming and that was no weather to leave any 1963 Mercury out in. Especially the Comet. I entered my house through the back door and, after locking it, headed upstairs to my room. Something didn't feel right. I knew I shouldn't be scaring myself like this. Ian Banks, my stalker and 2 time attacker, was in prison. I had nothing to worry about.

I flipped on the lights in my bathroom and took a quick shower. A loud crash of thunder made me jump, but that wasn't all I'd heard. The floor creak outside the bathroom and I shut off the water and wrapped myself in a towel. I edged over to the bathroom door and pressed my ear up to it. I held my breath, straining to hear what was in the hallway.

Suddenly, the door flew open and I was pulled out into the hallway. My heart stopped when I saw the angry, much too familiar face of Ian Banks glaring back at me.  
"Don't you dare forgive me Peyton," he chuckled, "you're about to see why I don't deserve it." Lightning illuminated the hallway from the front window. I tried my best to scream, but his hand clutched too tightly at my throat as he drug me into my bedroom. He threw me to the floor and I watched, horrified as he locked each of the locks I had put on my door to keep HIM away. I got to my feet, clutching my towel around myself, i ran to my closet and slammed the doors shut.

The closet had no inside lock, I knew it was over. I had nothing to protect myself but my fists, and that hadn't been enough the night of senior prom. Only with Brooke Davis's help had he been defeated. He barged in and I gasped when I saw him pull the steak knife out of his belt.

"Okay Peyt. Listen to me and you won't get hurt-"

"NO!" I surprised the both of us. "No, Ian. Kill me if you have to, but I am NOT doing as you say. I am NEVER going to let you control me willingly EVER again."

"Peyton, you are so fucking stubborn." He advanced towards me. I threw a right hook and missed. He laughed. He grasped my throat once more and forced me to my knees.  
"You're gonna regret ever fighting us. It was always meant to be, Peyton. When you teased me on that webcam of yours I knew. I knew you were gonna be mine. You. Are. MINE." He kneed me in the chest and knocked the wind out of me. He let go of my throat and shoved the knife into my abdomen. I fell to the floor. I tried desperately to get up but he kicked me in the head. Stars and black spots blurred my vision. He yanked my towel off and laughed; "You're making this too easy. Way too easy."

Ian beat me. Every punch, every kick was leading up to something worse, I knew. I tried fighting back, but I was weak from the blood loss. He beat me more than necessary; I I was immobilized from the pain. He took his time, he waited until he was ready and he did it. He took what wasn't his. He even used the knife. It hurt so bad.  
When he was done with me, he smiled. I was only just clinging to consciousness. "Well, Peyton, you're mine now. I may as well do this." He picked up the knife and lifted my arm. I couldn't move at all, frozen in pain and terror. He started at my left shoulder and slowly, deliberately carved. I didn't know what it said, I didn't want to know. I wanted to die. He kissed me on the cheek when he was done carving. Barely conscious, very nauseous, he made me sick, literally. I vomited. I could barely move my head to prevent choking.  
"I have to leave you now" He said coldly.  
Everything went black.

I welcomed the peace and serenity of death. Ian made no sense. He was really messed up to do this. But I was free of him now. No longer in constant fear, for you cannot die once you are already dead. Was I dead?

"Baby Peyt?

"Mommy!" I gasped, I hadn't heard that voice in almost ten years.

"Peyton Elizabeth?"

"Ellie!" Suddenly they appeared. Both wearing what they had on at death. Their faces were calm, young and beautiful.

"Hey, Baby Peyt," my adoptive mother, Anna cooed, almost gliding over to me. She pulled me into an enormous hug, smoothing my hair and I burst into tears.

"Momma I miss you! Mommy don't leave me again!" I sobbed. "Please Mommy!"

"Baby, I never left you. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, Sweetie." Mommy said. She let go of me and stepped back revealing Ellie my biological mother. Ellie walked up to me and gave me a more Ellie-like hug.

"Peyton, I heard the album. I am so proud of you." She said stepping back.

"Mommy, Mom. Why-what's going on? And am I going to Heaven or Hell? Is the-"

"Baby, you aren't ready for that."

"I don't understand. I'm dead, aren't I?" I noticed the sad smiles as they started to fade away. "Mommy! Mom! You guys can't leave me again! No!"

"We love you, Peyton. Stay strong, Baby..." The echo sounded in my head of both their soothing voices. Everything was dark again. The only feeling was loneliness.

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Brooke POV

I had a pretty good day today. I was headed to my apartment. Peyton had told me earlier that she was sleeping at her house tonight because she had to do some more cleaning tonight and tomorrow. She hoped to be done cleaning this week. She couldn't just leave the house with dirty clothes and dishes for her fathers return visit in a month.  
I decided that I should go check up on her. We hadn't been apart a lot lately and I was hoping she'd ask me to stay with her.

I knew she was there. The garage's front light was on and I could make out the very top of the Comet. The front door was unlocked so I walked inside. "Peyton?" I called. No answer. I glanced up the stairs where the hall, bathroom, and bedroom lights were all on. I walked up the stairs calling her name again. When I got no answer again, I knew something was wrong.  
I checked the bathroom and behind her bed. I made my way over to the closet where my friend sometime would hide away with her music collection. Maybe she had headphones in and couldn't hear me? I yanked open the doors and gasped at the sight before me.

My best friend was hardly recognizable. She was beaten to a pulp, blood pouring from various wounds on her broken body. I ran to her side and pressed my fingers to her neck, hoping desperately for a pulse.

Thank God I felt one.

It was feeble and slow, I fumbled to grab my phone from my pocket as I pulled Peyton into my arms.

"Hello, 911 what is your emergency?"

"I'm with my best friend she has a pulse but she's dying! I need help I think she's been raped and she's so badly beaten- Oh God, he stabbed her! She's bleeding send help!" I gasped to the woman on the phone.

"Sweetie, can you give me the address and the girls name?"

I gave the woman the address and name. Almost immediately I could hear sirens coming down the road. The paramedics and police suddenly swarmed around Peyton and I. I gave her up, knowing she needed help.  
I was in hysterics as the police tried to question me. I was too overwhelmed. I left them and ran after my best friend. One of the officers grabbed me before I made it to the ambulance.

"No, she can come," and female paramedic said, "We need someone who knows her for the information. And I'm sure it wouldn't help anyone to separate them"

I thanked her profusely as the same officer who had held me back helped me into the ambulance. "Questioning at the hospital, then" he said, smiling sympathetically.

I gripped Peyton's hand as we sped off to the hospital. They hooked her up to tons of monitors and tried to stop the bleeding. We were separated at the hospital and I collapsed sobbing into a waiting room chair.  
I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see a kind old lady in nurses scrubs.

"Hun, we need you to give us some information on your friend." She began. "I'll take you to a private waiting room where you can call her friends and family. And I can help you with the paperwork, okay?" She extended her had and I took it gratefully. She lead me to a small private waiting room and showed me to a phone. I called Karen first. Peyton and I both needed a mother figure. I asked her to bring Lucas but not to tell him everything. She agreed and said she'd be there soon. I turned to the old woman and asked her if I could let Nathan know. She escorted me to Haley's room. I snuck in and woke Nathan, who was asleep on a chair. Haley was going home tomorrow. Once awake, I took him to the waiting room and explained to him what happened. He helped me with Peyton's paperwork and the kind old nurse left us to get it filed.

Then the police came in.

"Brooke Davis?" He asked. "I'm sorry ma'am but we need to gather information now. We have other evidence from the scene as to who did this to your friend, but we need your input. Would you like Mr. Scott here to stay?"  
I nodded 'yes' and let them question me.

"It was Ian. He's in jail but he's the only one who would do this to her." I said, after answering the medical questions, positive I was correct.

"Ian Banks escaped prison at 8:32 this morning." The officer confirmed.

"What!? Are you looking for him?" Nathan asked.

"We're doing all that we can, Mr. Scott." The officer responded. "Thank you for your help Ms. Davis, any new information we will sure to notify you. Has anyone notified Mr. Sawyer of his daughters condition?"

"Crap. No, sir. We don't know how she's doing anyway. Our close friend's mom is on her way though. She has his cell number." I told him. The officer told us to be sure he was notified, then he thanked us for our time and left the room.

"I don't know how I'm gonna tell Haley," Nathan sighed, "she's really close with Peyton. She'll be upset." I heard a frantic voice down the hall that I recognized as Luke's. Karen was trying to soothe him as they entered the tiny private waiting room. I ran to them and gave Karen a tight hug. She soothingly rubbed my back and asked how Peyton was.

"I don't know. They've said nothing! Peyton's dad doesn't even know yet!"

"What? I'll call him right away." Karen retreated to a corner of the room to call Larry Sawyer. I felt really awful for him. Waking up in the middle of the night to hear of his daughters attack. I wondered if he could turn the boat around and come back. They'd left just 24 hours ago.

"What happened to Peyton?" Luke asked, angrily. "Mom wouldn't tell me how bad things got."

"Luke... He raped her," I choked. It was so hard to say. "It's really bad, Luke. She almost died." Lucas dropped to a seat and buried his head in his hands. Just then a female doctor entered;

"Alright, I have some news on Ms. Peyton Sawyer." The doctor began. "I'm Dr. Wright. My colleague is working hard to stop the internal bleeding in Peyton's abdomen from the stab wound and being beaten. She's not in great shape and, I don't know if y'all are religious, but she could really use a prayer or two." Doctor Wright sighed. "Poor girl. If Brooke had waited even just a few minutes to call us, Peyton probably wouldn't have even made it this far. I'll be her doctor until she's ready to leave the hospital. If you ever have any questions or concerns regarding Ms. Sawyer, come find me." Dr. Wright gave a small smile and, seeing we had no questions, left the room.

Luke POV

We waited and waited. I wanted my Peyton to be okay. I wanted to see her. She'd been in surgery for 3 hours now. It was now about 2:30 am. We were all tired.  
Nathan had had to go back to Haley's room. They were still here because younger mothers sometimes had higher risk pregnancies and deliveries, so the doctors just wanted to be sure.  
I hoped that she would be safe soon. I didn't like the though of the love of my life under the knife. Seeing my mom like that last week was enough for me to never want to see it again.  
My mother was sat between Brooke and I. She had tears in her eyes and was staring off into nowhere. Lilly was at home with Deb, so we didn't have to worry about her. Mom had been trying to console Brooke for most of the time that we'd been here. She had drifted into a troubled sleep about 20 minutes ago. My mother now had both arms around me and we were letting the tears fall, devastated for poor Peyton. I heard a light tap on the door and Dr. Wright entered with a smile on her face.

"Brooke, Karen, Lucas?" Brooke opened her eyes and listened to the doctor. "Peyton's out of surgery. We stopped the bleeding. She received several stitches on multiple different wounds, and she has a lot of bandages. We normally only allow one visitor at this time in recovery from surgery, but I am willing to take you three to her room now. I must warn you, she looks a lot different and it may be scary for you to see her this way. There isn't much lasting damage to her face, most of that will go away with time."  
We followed Dr. Wright out of the waiting room and down a long hallway where we entered a large private room. "I'll be just down the hall if you need anything. She should be awake within a few hours." And with that, Dr. Wright was gone.

Brooke took two chairs and dragged them to the bedside. She made herself a makeshift bed and, careful not to touch any wires or tubes, she settled in taking Peyton's hand. I did the same as her with the some other chairs on the opposite side of the bed. It was hard to see Peyton's condition in the darkness of the room. My mom went home and told us she'd be back in the morning and to call if there was any change.

I couldn't sleep. All I could do was stare at Peyton's damaged face in the dim light. She had bandages wrapped securely around her head, and had stitches in her bottom lip and both cheeks. She had two black eyes and her right eye was extremely swollen. The doctor said it was easier to keep her out of a hospital gown so they could easily replace her bandages later. She was covered in a thin white sheet and a thick gray blanket. I didn't want to know what kind of damage he had caused to the rest of her body. It just wasn't fair. Why Peyton? She'd lost both mothers, been shot, her father was always away so that he could provide a life for Peyton, and she just gets beaten down. She was so strong, my Peyton. I knew she'd make it through this. If it took weeks, months, or even years, I would be there for her as long as she needed me.

Eventually I faded into a troubled sleep, thinking about what the future held for the skinny blonde beside me.


End file.
